Restaurant Review – Mezzuna, Pune

The weekend before, we were offered a prestigious invite to attend and then review the LaVitaE Brunch at Mezzuna, Pune. Mezzuna excels as one the top casual-dining restaurants in the city and has also been nominated for TimesCity awards. On a more personal note, Mezzuna is yet another one of my favorite restaurants in Pune and one of very few places I’d visit again.

Armed with high expectations, we (Umesh and me) braced for our Sunday Brunch made up in a Mediterranean theme at Mezzuna, Pune. Ayan, the manager, welcomed and graciously escorted us to our table. We personally preferred the outdoor seating but since it was getting a little too sunny, we had to park ourselves inside. The interiors were warm and cozy and contributed beautifully to the Mediterranean theme.

Mezzuna Review – The LaVitaE Brunch

We selected a couple of mocktails before our meal. Umesh and I were recovering from a hangover from the other night and didn’t want to experience head-hell when we were right now in food-heaven. The Virgin Mojito was a refreshing start to the brunch. After that we savored some starters, which were served at our table. I loved the vegetarian starters as compared to the non-vegetarian ones. The veg starters possessed that extra oomph.

We then ambled about to explore LaVitaE Brunch’s other options. They had displayed 6 ready to serve salads. There was a very thoughtful mini-zone with separate greens so diners can make their own salad based on their personal preferences. One itty-bitty suggestion: I would have preferred somebody to make the salad for me based on my choices, because it will have kept to the ambiance of the place and helped me relax into the meal to come.

Afterwards, we found ourselves ordering Thin-Crust Pizzas. Even in this genre of yummy awesomeness, the veg option was way better than its meaty counterpart. Not only was it lighter on the palate as well as the belly, it had a lot more variety in the toppings department that added to the flavor blast. The non-veg pizza had only chicken going into it so it was pretty clichéd and kinda bland.

The Crepes with their delicious Tossed Veggie Filling were rather interesting. I also enjoyed the Pulled Pork Burger, it was well balanced and soft wherever needed. The Patty/Pork, however, was a bit oily and will have been a bad idea for me, seeing as how I’ve been busy following a workout regime for quite a while now. Being rather direct reviewers that we are, Umesh and I brought this oily point to the notice of Mezzuna’s management. The great thing was they were more than happy to change the dish to a healthier parallel.

Mezzuna Review – The Main Course

They had options aplenty where Pastas are concerned. I gave the Pumpkin Ravioli with Red Sauce a chance to make it into this review and it was a bite packed with the potential to stop time. It’s somewhat surprising that there can be a better Pasta dish than the one I just mentioned, but the real show stealer was the Risotto and Egg Benedict. ‘Wow’ is an inadequate word to use to describe this one. The Risotto was just the way I like it with the right amount of cheese that kept from making me feel ‘heavy’ (you know what I’m talking about, ladies). It was truly, for lack of a better phrase, soul satiating. Umesh adored the Eggs Benedict and couldn’t stop raving about it.

LaVitaE Brunch’s other main course items included Ragout, some tossed vegetables and more. However we were as full as a Christmas shopping bag in December and so had to forgo further savoring of other dishes they had available. We decided to try the desserts at Mezzuna and then call it a day.

Mezzuna Review – The Desserts

I was pumped up with high expectations when it came to desserts. Not only because I personally love them but also because the dishes had impressed me so much so far here at Mezzuna that this ‘final bite’ simply had to do good. It was about to become a series of unfortunate moments for us, because the desserts turned out to be a bit disappointing.

There was Tart with Chocolate Ganache, which was pretty decent, no complaints. Apart from that, the cupcakes and two other desserts we tried out failed to leave a positive mark. I had such high hopes and am indulging a rather ‘harsh’ reviewing flow, both for one main reason… I read several reviews where people raved about the dessert scene at Mezzuna. To see those ‘rave reviews’ not standing up to par makes me want to set the record straight. Then again, perhaps it was our bad that we couldn’t taste the more special desserts? I will definitely return to try those and help turn this review along more fruitful tracks for Mezzuna’s dessert spreads.

All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon immersed in a sumptuous buffet spread or the LaVitaE Brunch as it’s called here at Mezzuna. In just a few months since its inception, Mezzuna has definitely captured the hearts of Pune foodies. It has therefore transformed into one of the most popular eateries for Indians and of course our foreign visitors. Whoever is looking for a fantastic Mediterranean meal here in Pune, they can find the oasis at Mezzuna.

I can honestly say, the food is nothing without the setting. This is one of the reasons why a casual-dining restaurant like this has rendered its patrons awe-struck. The feature I’m attempting to highlight is Mezzuna’s interiors and overall ambiance. Aside from that excellent design choice, the service was warm and friendly without being very intrusive. Now, that’s quite a hard skill to master, but they did it.

You can tell the impact a restaurant leaves on its patrons when the diner(s) in question leave and feel like running back inside again. There remains this palpable difference from your time inside Mezzuna to what you sense on exiting. This is exactly what Umesh and I felt and, as incredible as it may seem to some people, Mezzuna really does leave you hungry for more, but in the healthy sense. I eagerly look forward to experiencing that singular Mezzuna soul-satisfaction effect someday.

About Bhakti

Freelancer, Editor and Full-time Blogger. Besides my husband, I love food, colors, travelling and socializing. In my spare time, I don’t read books. I cook. Yes it is one of the things I am passionate about after shopping. Read More »

About Joshua

Creativity is my swimming pool, and the fun is endless when I share it with the world. It's one of the things that make me want to write about books, movies, travel, great conversation, fashion and more. I like savoring the world, one bite at a time.